Overview
- Fact-checkers including Full Fact and reporting by The Independent have found claims that all drivers over 70 must retake their driving test are false.
- The confirmed proposal would replace the current self-declaration at licence renewal with mandatory eyesight checks every three years for drivers aged 70 and over.
- Those eyesight checks are part of a Road Safety Strategy that was developed last year and went to public consultation earlier in 2026, and the measures are not yet law.
- The same strategy also asks ministers to consider a minimum learning period for new drivers, such as a six-month wait between theory and practical tests, a measure aimed at cutting crashes involving under-25s.
- Wider coverage has flagged how social posts and some headlines simplified or misstated the proposals, creating public confusion about what the rules would mean for older drivers and learner licensing.